Coming to Terms
by IrregularAllison
Summary: The untold story of Percy Ignatius Weasley. From the time Death Eaters took over the Ministry to the birth of his second daughter. Audrey won't be in it at first. Rated T because I'm paranoid.
1. The Fall of the Ministry of Magic

**A/N: if anyone who reads this happens to like it I'm warning you now my updates are really inconsistent, but I'll try. Also if I actually finish this then I'm hoping to do a sequel about Percy's daughter Lucy. Since this story overlaps with the Deathly Hallows, there may be a few direct quotes from the book.**

**Chapter One: The Fall of the Ministry of Magic**

Percy Weasley was sitting in his office sorting through his ever growing pile of paperwork, when the attack was launched. There was a deafening crash further down the hallway; Percy hardly noticed as he was incredibly busy and had grown used to loud crashes coming from the Auror's Office. Only when the screaming began did Percy glance up from his notes. A mass of black-robed witches and wizards were streaming steadily through the main entrance, shouting curses and hexes the whole time.

For a moment all Percy could do was gape at the scene unfolding before his eyes. The first wave of attackers were wreaking havoc: attacking shocked Ministry employees, setting freshly printed copies of The Daily Prophet ablaze, and storming various staircases and elevators. As if on cue, various Ministry officials joined the attack while a second wave, which broke into smaller groups spread throughout the building.

And then, Percy's eyes focused on what must've surely been the last line of attackers-there were hundreds of them already. Voldemort himself had arrived along with a small group of his closest followers. The sight of the Dark Lord's manic grin and sheer pleasure of seeing the Ministry burn aroused a hatred stronger than any emotion Percy had ever experienced.

He slipped out of the office unnoticed in the chaos around him and drew his wand. Percy attempted to keep an eye on Voldemort's small group, but was unable to defend himself effectively while watching its progress. He stunned one Death Eater and caused another's jinx to rebound with a shield charm. He caught sight of Kingsley Shacklebolt dueling Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy at the foot of the stairway that lead to Scrimegour's office, but the rest of Voldemort's posse was nowhere in sight.

That same stairway was littered with the bodies of Ministry employees and Death Eaters alike: Voldemort had made it to the Minister's office and his minions had stunned, tortured, and killed well over half of the unsuspecting Ministry employees.

Although it physically hurt Percy to see the Ministry in shambles, his sense of self-preservation saved him and he joined the ranks of those who had surrendered. He saw a few faces he recognized, but could not remember any of their names. Kingsley lay in a crumpled heap at the foot of the stairs, breathing, but seriously injured.

The fighting had ended as quickly as it started and an eery silence fell over the room, all eyes on the door of the Minister's office. The room held its breath as Voldemort exited and Scrimegour followed. Percy examined the Minister, he limped worse than usual, was covered in blood, and looked weary. There was still that steely glint in his eyes when Voldemort faced him and asked quietly,"Where is Harry Potter?"

Scrimegour briefly surveyed the crowd below him before replying,"I do not know."

"_Crucio_!"

Percy watched, appalled as the Minister for Magic writhed in agony in the floor. Death Eaters cheered, Ministry officials groaned and wept, Voldemort grinned, and Scrimegour went limp. Voldemort paused long enough whisper,"Do you know where the boy is now?"

Scrimegour stood and looked the Dark Lord in the eyes,"Even if I was aware of Potter's whereabouts, I would never tell you, that boy is the best hope we have against you and your army. He is a symbol of what all of us should stand for and he is-"

As the Minister's shouts grew louder and angrier, Voldemort turned his back and when he whipped back around he interrupted the Scrimegour's cries with two words," _Avada Kedavra_!"

Scrimegour's eyes reflected green light as his face went slack and his legs crumpled beneath him. Several of Percy's coworkers gasped and others faces were streaked with fresh tears. The Dark Lord stood before the assembled Ministry employees and Death Eaters and addressed them,"Your leader is dead, any who attempt to resist will meet the same fate. Scrimegour was wrong when he said Harry Potter was your best hope, there is no hope for any of you unless you join me. For the time being I will appoint a new Minister for Magic and new Ministry officials. You will continue your work here under the changes they see fit. Thicknesse! Come forward! Address your employees." Voldemort and a few others apparated from the premises after one Death Eater cried out,"Morsmordre!"

A man Percy recognized as one of the Department Heads stepped forward along with a few Ministry officials that he automatically labeled traitors.

The first man stepped forward, a broad grin on his face and addressed the crowd,"My name, for those of you who don't know, is Pius Thicknesse.As your new Minister for Magic, I promise to restore this temple of tolerance to its former glory. Therefore, beginning today, each employee will submit themselves… for evaluation. But know this: you have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide."

Percy Weasley knew better, in times like these they all had something to hide and something to fear.


	2. Employee Evaluations & Something to Hide

**A/N: Thanks to Moonlit Lightning and Love Our Troops for reviewing; thank you to all of you who favorited or followed the story. **

**Chapter Two: Employee Evaluation & Something to Hide**

"Mr. Weasley, we are sorry to inform you that you have been demoted. Until you have submitted your employee evaluation and been deemed trustworthy, you have been reassigned as a secretary to the Wizarding Examination Authority.

Signed: Pius Thicknesse"

This note was pinned to the door of Percy's office the day after the attack. He carefully removed the bit of parchment from the door, careful not to show anxiety or anger. Other members of his family were known as blood-traitors, of course they wouldn't trust him. He tried to remain nonchalant, as he turned on heel and marched toward his new Department ; they were probably already watching him. The hallways were swarming with Death Eaters and Ministry officials, presumably under the Imperius curse; Percy nodded to a few of them as he passed in an attempt to appear cool and collected.

By the time Percy had reached his new office, which was more like a broom cupboard than an office, he had decided that he would continue to work at the Ministry until he could determine what was happening to the outside world, or until it became too dangerous for him to remain. He would become "trustworthy" as the note had said and attempt to make contact with the Order. It would be one of the most reckless things he had ever done, but Percy would not stand by while the world as he knew it crumbled.

He sat down at his new desk to see that the only paper on his desk was the employee evaluation. The lack of paperwork felt odd; Percy wished he could be grateful for it, but the reason for it made it impossible.

Percy decided he could hardly liberate the Ministry from Voldemort's control that day, so he summoned a quill and some ink and began to fill out his evaluation. Percy knew was surprised by the simplicity of the questions; he knew from extensive amounts of time spent working with Dolores Umbridge, who supported Voldemort and Thicknesse, what kind of answers would be expected.

Ministry of Magic: Employee Evaluation

•Name (Last, first): Weasley, Percy

•Blood Status: pure-blood

•Father's name: Arthur Weasley

•Mother's name: Molly Prewett Weasley

•How long have you been employed by the Ministry if Magic? Approximately 4 years

•Were you satisfied with the Ministry before the previous Minister left office? If no, explain: No, the Ministry was previously entirely too tolerant with muggles, muggle-borns, and blood-traitors.

•What is your opinion of muggles? We (wizards) should not have to hide from them. We are the dominant species in every aspect and should rule them.

•What is your opinion of muggle-borns? They are filthy creatures that should not be allowed to associate with pure-bloods.

•What is your opinion of blood-traitors? They are as bad as muggle-borns and should be punished for disloyalty to the magical community.

•What is your opinion of centaurs, werewolves, house elves, goblins, mermaids, etc. The Ministry spends entirely too much time focusing on relations with these species. They do nothing for us, why should we worry about them?

Thank you for your cooperation, your evaluation will be looked over by the Minister as soon as possible.

Percy was sickened by his responses, but they were necessary if he was to stay at the Ministry during this evil reign.

As the Wizarding Examination Authority wasn't a high priority to Voldemort, Percy was left with nothing to do for the rest of the day.

He wondered for a long time if anyone else in the Ministry even planned on attempting to resist and hopefully overthrow the new Ministry. If they were, he would need to find them. Percy let out a helpless sigh, it hadn't occurred to him until that moment how impossible the task of rebelling would be. He couldn't possibly dream of causing any major damage to the corrupted wizarding government, but if he attempted to communicate with others about his plans, they could easily hand him over to the Death Eaters as a traitor.

Percy realized he had prematurely committed himself to the idea of resisting Voldemort. He didn't know how he would do it, who he would help, or how he would get out if he was discovered. Rebelling had seemed like the only logical thing, but if he were to attempt it, he would have to be mental.

Mental: the word resounded in his mind. It occurred to him that he had always considered his brothers mental. Maybe they weren't mental, maybe they were braver, riskier than Percy. Bill was Curse-Breaker, he went into tombs to disengage booby-traps, knowing the tomb could collapse, he might miss a trap, or a spell could rebound on him. Charlie worked with dragons, where one false move could get you killed. Fred and George were risky in a different way, they had given up on education for their joke shop, which might've never worked out, but it did and they were raking in the Galleons. And Ron the youngest of his brothers had actually fought Death Eaters and was on his way to becoming a fine Auror. Perhaps Percy didn't have to be mental, just more like his brothers. He felt as if he had part of them inside of him, they shared the same genes and the six of them were all former Gryffindors. He felt that part of him struggling to awaken. It was there, deep below the surface. That was what Percy had been hiding all this time, and it was more than ready to break free.

**A/N: Hope all of you who've made it this far have enjoyed. Please review. I do appreciate favorites and follows, but any feedback in the comments really helps me out. Keep reading!**


	3. Meetings, Messages, and Legilimens

**A/N: sorry this chapter took so long, I had absolutely no inspiration for it, but it's a bit longer than the first two. Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favourites :) enjoy.**

**Chapter Three: Messages, Meetings, and Legilimens**

Percy Weasley was having a hard time thinking clearly, his newly rediscovered brave side was clashing with the intelligent side of his mind. It felt as if he was tearing in half. Part of him wanted to plan and think things through, but another part of him was itching to act without thought or warning. It was a strange sensation, trying to force two parts of himself to work together. An idea that would take his two different halves began to form. He would contact Dirk Cresswell, one of the greatest wizards he had ever met. Cresswell was the Head of the Goblin Liaison Office and as such was fluent in Gobbledegook. Percy had picked up quite a bit of Gobbledegook from Barty Crouch Senior before he had been murdered. As far as Percy knew they were the only two wizards in the Ministry that could speak Gobbledegook, so there would be no danger of being discovered.

Cresswell was a brilliant wizard, he would be able to help Percy, and wouldn't be apt to follow Voldemort, he would be a valuable asset if there was another battle. Percy yanked open every desk drawer until he found a quill, ink, and a sheet of parchment. The idea seemed simple enough, but he hadn't a clue how he would convince Cresswell to help him. He put his quill to the parchment and wrote, "Cresswell, this is Percy Weasley, I am sure that I am not alone in my resistance of our current Minister. Of course you know that one men cannot bring down a dictator, I beg for your help now to bring down this tyrant, I am aware that you are a much greater wizard than I and would be honored if you would agree to assist me in this task."

Percy glanced back over his note, making sure he could pronounce all of the Gobbledegook translation. He cleared his throat, Gobbledegook was a very raspy language.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" shouted Percy, he spoke his message to his Patronus, an owl; sent it on its way to Cresswell. All he could do at that point was wait, hope nothing would interfere with his message, and worry about everything that could go wrong.

As he waited, Percy wished that he could go home. He wanted to see his family, to apologize, but they could never take him back after what he'd done to them. He hated himself for not going back when he had the chance, and he couldn't leave now. Thicknesse had cast an Anti-Disapparition Jinx over the Ministry, the fireplaces and other exits were guarded by Death Eaters at all times, and there were no broomsticks or other means of magical transportation to be found. All employees of the Ministry were trapped inside, except for the few who had escaped after the initial attack by Voldemort.

Percy waited expectantly for his possible ally's reply, it seemed as if ages were passing while he waited. He stood and paced the room for a bit, then sat back down to read, and Percy finally fell asleep, too fatigued to hold his eyes open.

When he awoke, the pages of the book he had been reading were stuck to his face and an Interdepartmental Memo was hovering over his desk. Percy was puzzled by it at first, as it was the only paper anyone had sent him since the Employ Evaluation. He grabbed it and unfolded it slowly, briefly thinking it had been written in Chinese, but the message was not written in foreign characters it was written in Ancient Runes. It had been quite a while since Percy had interpreted any Runes, but after studying them for a few moments interpreted the message. It read: Meet me in the lift at 6:48 p.m.

Percy read the message ten times, he could derive no meaning from those few words, so he would meet with Cresswell. He glanced at his watch, the time was 6:38 p.m. Percy hurriedly closed his book, tripped over his chair, and ran out of his office.

If Percy hadn't been in such a rush, to reach the lift for his meeting, he would have been shocked by his surroundings. He had not been out of his office since the day after the attack. Many renovations had been made, including a new statue with muggles holding up the crushing weight of a witch and wizard, many new wanted posters for Harry Potter and a few for his own brothers, and at least a hundred injured muggle-borns being herded towards the courtrooms. None of these caught his attention as he raced toward the lifts, he finally reached one and wondered if he could possibly be walking into a trap. That thought was drowned out by his want to act.

He checked his watch again, it was 6:42, surely it couldn't hurt to be early, he pressed the button repeatedly like a child and stepped inside when the doors admitted him. No one else was in the usually crowded lift, and as Percy watched the doors close, he wondered if he should push pretend he had somewhere to go. As he reached out to press one of the many buttons on the elevator panel, but stopped short when something tapped his arm. A wand appeared, apparently floating in midair, and a disembodied voice said," Don't worry, Weasley, it's only a Disillusionment Charm. _Silencio Duo_."

Percy looked down, and watched his torso, legs, and feet slowly disappear. He had witnessed the effects of this particular charm before, so he was not shocked by his sudden invisibility. The incantation Cresswell had spoken was not familiar to Percy though. Cresswell spoke again, although it didn't seem as loud or as clear as before from somewhere to Percy's left,"Why should I trust you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Cresswell let out an exasperated sigh,"You heard me. I know who you are Weasley, and I seem to recall only a week ago you were running around with Umbrigde and her cronies."

Percy was glad Cresswell could not see his face at that moment,"You must trust me, I looked up to Dolores when I thought she wanted what was best for our world, but I now realize she has a mind as twisted as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I only want to be a part of this Ministry if it is working for the well-being of wizardkind, and at this time it is not doing so."

"A likely story, although well planned. Now do you intend to make me believe you."

While Percy was recovering from Cresswell's harsh speech, another wizard entered the lift,"Go on then,"said Cresswell,"he can't hear you." Percy glanced at the third wizard who seemed untaxed by Cresswell's voice, and decided it was safe to speak,"I suppose your doubts in me are reasonable, especially in these times. I will do whatever it takes for you to hear reason. If it comes to it, I would grant you permission to employ the art of legilimency on my mind."

Much to Percy's surprise, Cresswell replied,"Very well. _Legilimens_!"

It was like nothing Percy had experienced before. His life was flashing before his eyes, as they say it does when one is dying. Perhaps he was dying or dead, he had lost all sensation and could only watch. He saw himself pestering Bill and Charlie, looking down on infant versions of Fred and George; Ron; and finally Ginny. He saw himself fall off a broom while his siblings whizzed around above head. He received his Hogwarts letter, was sorted into Gryffindor, although he wondered if he was better suited for Ravenclaw or even Slytherin. He became Prefect, then Head Boy, got a job at the Ministry, and rose through its ranks. Finally Percy saw himself fighting during the attack and then sitting in his office planning a rebellion.

His eyes snapped open; although he was still invisible, he wax suddenly aware that he was drenched in sweat and his heart was pounding violently against his chest. Cresswell spoke again,"Where are you, Weasley?"

"Here," croaked Percy.

A minute or so passed before Cresswell found Percy and helped him to his feet saying," Sorry about that, mate, Legilimency is best performed when its victim is off guard."

Percy was a bit irked at his new ally's actions, but as he wanted to remain allies, he replied,"Oh, it's quite all right," and then asked,"Will you help me then?"

"Of course I'll help you, the Ministry's new direction goes against everything I believe in as well, not to mention I'm muggle-born."

Percy disregarded the bit about Cresswell being muggle-born, he couldn't care less about blood status, Cresswell, one of the few qualified Aurors left in the Ministry was on his side. For the first time, it seemed possible that the new, evil Ministry could be brought down, until Cresswell asked,"What's the plan?"


	4. Planning a Rebellion

**A/U: Sorry this chapter isn't my best and sorry it took so long, but maybe those of you reading this will enjoy :)**

**Chapter Four: Planning a Rebellion**

Percy felt utterly mortified when he had to explain that he didn't have a plan. Surprisingly, Cresswell brushed it off saying,"Not to worry, I'm in contact with several Aurors who escaped the Ministry. We could use help from the outside." Percy eagerly agreed, Cresswell had several excellent ideas that Percy would have never considered himself. If they could get enough of the Ministry willing to fight, they would contact Cresswell's Auror friends and they would attack Voldemort's followers from both sides.

There were so many flaws in their plan, the biggest problem was their lack of support. The two of them, Cresswell and Percy, had yet to determine whether or not they would have any other allies in the Ministry. As much as Percy yearned to get to any others willing to resist Thicknesse and even Voldemort, he couldn't exactly walk up his fellow Ministry workers and say,"Hello, would you like to rebel against the Dark Lord and our current Minister with Dirk Cresswell and me?"

He would have to be careful, no one could be trusted. Kingsley Shacklebolt would have been the first person Percy would have gone to in this situation, but Kingsley had escaped the night after the attack, along with many other Aurors. Percy wished that any department other than the Auror Department had made their escape, but that was the brash part of his mind. His logical part realised the Aurors would have undergone the worst questioning, torture, and even deaths of any of the other Ministry departments.

An idea suddenly occurred to him, and he couldn't believe that it hadn't before. The Aurors were only one part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He would ask Cresswell first, but he figured if anyone could be trusted it would be the heads of magical law enforcement.

Of course there would be others, there was the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, the Hit Wizards, and many other smaller groups within the department. Percy had once heard a muggle speak of striking a gold mine, although he wasn't sure what they had meant by it, the muggle had been excited; Percy felt as if he'd struck a gold mine. Percy wasn't sure where Cresswell had run off to, probably back to his office to avoid Yaxley and Umbridge's questions.

Though neither Percy nor Cresswell had been through formal questioning in court, they had been caught planning together twice now. If they were seen together again anytime soon, it would be almost impossible to avoid questioning under the influence of Veritaserum, which was a chance neither of them could take. Percy would be labeled a blood traitor and Cresswell would be revealed a muggle-born after all the work he had done to forge his family tree. If they were discovered, they would probably both be killed and the little progress they had made would be for nothing.

Despite the risk, Percy found himself standing in front of Cresswell's office. He didn't recall leaving his office, but there was no point in turning back now. Percy glanced down the hall in both directions before pressing his ear to the keyhole. The only sound he could make out was the faint scratching of a quill on parchment. Percy opened the door just wide enough to slide into the office. Cresswell's head jerked up, Weasley, you know if Yaxley or Umbridge or Runcorn see us, then we'll both be dead.

Percy sighed, a bit exasperated,"I came down here to ask if you'd considered getting a few others from your department in on this."

Cresswell looked at Percy, bemused,"You're thinking now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"That's the first thing I would do in this situation, I was simply waiting for you to figure it out."

Percy stared blankly at Cresswell, slightly offended, they were supposed to be working together; Cresswell had been hiding plans from him. Cresswell seemed to read Percy's mind and defended his reasoning,"Percy, you know that I've forged my family tree, Death Eaters aren't complete fools. I won't pretend that there's no chance of me being discovered. I'm trying to ensure that this rebellion will be carried out with or without me."

Percy nodded, not entirely sure how to reply,"Well let's crack on."

Cresswell grinned,"I made the assumption that you're not acquainted to many members of my department, so I've made up a list of a few I would consider trustworthy."

Percy sat in a chair across from Cresswell and read over the list.

He recognized a few of the names: some were Hit Wizards, several members of the Improper Use of Magic Office were on the list as well, and even a few of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department.

"We could start with Perkins, he was friends with my father, I think I could convince him," Percy interjected.

"How will you go about it?"

"Erm... I dunno, I figured I'd just ask."

Cresswell shook his head and grinned,"Have you already forgotten the precautions you took to arrange a meeting with me? And how suspicious I was of your motives? We'll have to get Perkins to himself before you just ask him anything."

"Cresswell couldn't we simply cast Disillusionment charms on him and ourselves; drag him into a bathroom or your office to talk?"

"I don't see why not, and you might as well call me Dirk.

Percy and Cresswell spoke to several wizards in that way and by the end of the week the number of rebels was seventeen. To Percy it all seemed a bit surreal, he was actually doing something useful for once, he was rallying the enemies of Voldemort inside the Ministry, it seemed like only a matter of time before they would be able to overthrow the Death Eaters that had taken charge of the Ministry. Cresswell came to see Percy in his office one day saying,"I believe Yaxley has begun to suspect that something is amiss. Our numbers have grown to where we cannot afford to meet as a group. We will have to determine another form of communication that is less dangerous. I fear I will be discovered soon, it's only a matter of time until they discover my muggle heritage."

"Dirk, you can't be serious, they haven't suspected any thing was wrong for a month, they won't find out you're muggle-born and they won't discover our little group of rebels. We can work on another way of sending each other messages, if it'd make you feel better, but I doubt it'll be necessary."

Cresswell nodded,"I'm sorry to say it, but I will have to find a way out of the Ministry as soon as I can, I've received news that the Registration Committee may have their eyes on me."

Percy stared at Cresswell, not sure how to take the news, there was no way they had caught on was there?


End file.
